Refrigerating apparatus



May 30, 1950 L. A. PHILIPP REFRIGERATING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

Filed Feb. 20, 1946 W. MWW

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REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 20, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 TIL-l (:3

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Patented May 30, 1950 2.50am maroaasrmo mmrus Lawrence A. Milli, Detroit,

Mich,

aasignor to Naah-Kelvinator Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Maryland Application February 20. 1946, Serial No. 649,068

Claims. (01. 62-89) This invention relates to refrigerating apparatus, and more particularly to a domestic refrigerator having the refrigerating elements disposed in an improved mannerto permit more advantageous use of the space within the refrigerator.

Heretofore it has been common practice to employ a refrigerant condenser element of compact design positioned in the mechanism compartment, generally located beneath the refrigerated compartment, and to position the refrigerant evaporator element in the refrigerated compartment. The presence of the refrigerant condenser element in the mechanism compartment necessitates an increase in the overall size of the unit and provides a concentrated source of heat. When the refrigerant evaporator is in the refrigerated compartment an undesirable proportion of the valuable space within the refrigerator is wasted and it is more difficult to maintain even temperature throughout the refrigerated compartment.

An object of this invention is to provide a refrigerator having the refrigerant condenser and evaporator elements disposed in an improved manner whereby greater use may be made of the space within the refrigerator.

A further object resides in the provision of an improved refrigerator having the refrigerant condensing element bondedto the inner surface of the external wall of the cabinet whereby virtually the entire external area of the cabinet may be employed as a heat transfer medium to absorb heat from gaseous refrigerant to convert it to a liquid, and wherein refrigerant evaporating elements are bonded to the outer surface of an inner liner or shell to insure more economical use of the space within the refrigerated compartment.

Yet a further object of the invention is to provide a refrigerator having an upper compartment refrigerated under low temperature and high humidity conditions for the storage of food stuffs, and a lower compartment refrigerated under lower temperature and low humidity conditions for the storage of frozen foods and for the freezing of ice blocks.

Still another object of the invention resides in the provision of an improved domestic refrigerator having spaced food storage and ice forming compartments refrigerated at different temperatures and humidity conditions, and wherein separate doors are provided to minimize cold loss when it is necessary to open either of the compartments.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved domestic refrigerator having spaced compartments refrigerated at diflerent temperatures by a single evaporator element controlled by a single refrigerant compressor element, and wherein desired refrigerating conditions may be secured by the use of a single pressure diiferential restriction controlling the flow oi: refrigerant to each of the compartments.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed de- I scription considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, submitted for purposes of illustration only and not intended to define the scope of the invention, reference being had for that purpose to the sub-joined claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a domestic refrigerator, with the access doors removed, embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the refrigerator having a portion broken away, taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows and with the access doors in place;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the refrigerating cycle;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows:

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modified form of the invention; and

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view of the refrigerator having a portion broken away, taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now more particularly to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4,

it will be observed that a domestic refrigerator is provided with an outer wall or shell having interconnected top, side and back walls l0, l2 and I4, respectively. The space within the refrigerator is divided into food storage and ice freezing compartments [6 and 18 by inner shells.

The food storage compartment I6 is defined by an angularly inclined upper wall 20, generally vertically disposed back and side walls 22 and 24, and a generally horizontally disposed bottom wall 26. The ice freezing compartment is defined by a top wall 28', generally vertically disposed back and side walls 30 and 32, and a generally horizontally disposed bottom wall 34. A mechanism compartment 36 defined byouter back walls 38 and 40 parallel with the outer side and back walls l2 and I4 is provided in the bottom of the cabinet to receive a motor compressor unit 42. The ice freezing compartment has walls 44 3 and 48 spaced from and parallel to the walls 38 and 40, as illustrated in Fig. 4, to provide substantially uniform space for insulation around the entire ice freezing compartment.

Suitable insulation 48 formed of cork or fibrous material is interposed between the outer casing and the inner shells defining the food storage and ice freezing compartments I6 and I8 to retard the flow of heat into the refrigerated compartments and to minimize the escape of cold therefrom.

The back wall I4 is open in alignment with the mechanism compartment 38 to permit the escape of heat therefrom. Flues 50 secured to the back wall I4 are provided to direct convection currents upwardly to insure adequate cooling of the motor compressor unit 42.

Refrigerant evaporators consisting of a network of interconnected conduits or tubes 52 and 54 bonded to the outer surface of the inner shells of the food storage and ice freezing compart-' ments I 8 and I8, respectively, are employed to receive liquid refrigerant from a refrigerant con-. denser element consisting of a series of interconnected conduits or tubes 56 bonded to the inner surface of the external walls ID, I2 and M in heat exchange relation therewith. A conduit 58 connected with the outlet 60 of the motor compressor unit 42 is provided to direct the compressed gaseous refrigerant to the condenser tubes 58 at the top of the cabinet. Gaseous refrigerant is liquified in the refrigerant condenser to the refrigerant evaporator 52 associated with the food storage compartment I6.

A refrigerant pressure differential restriction B2 is interposed between the refrigerant evaporator tubes 52 and 54 to maintain the pressure of the refrigerant in the evaporator tubes 54 associated with the ice freezing compartment I8 lower than the pressure in the refrigerant evaporator tubes 52 associated with the food storage compartment I6. The ice freezing compartment will, therefore, operate at a lower temperature and lower humidity than the food storage compartment [6. Any suitable form of pressure differential restriction may be employed, either of the fixed type or the adjustable type to permit varying the pressure of the refrigerant circulating through the evaporators of the ice freezing or food storage compartments to permit manual adjustment to obtain desired temperature and humidity conditions in each of the compartments.

In the operation of this improved refrigerator as disclosed diagrammatically in Mg. 3, the motor compressor unit 32 draws gaseous refrigerant from the accumulator d4 of the refrigerant evaporator 54 associated with the ice freezing compartment I8 and compresses it. Virtually the entire outer casing is employed as a heat exchange medium to dissipate heat from the gaseous refrigerant. As the temperature of the compressed gaseous refrigerant decreases due to the dissipation of heat it becomes liquified in the receiver associated with the refrigerant condenser tubes 56.

Liquifled refrigerant flows through a strainer 66 and is introduced into the refrigerant evaporator tubes 52 of the food storage compartment l6 through a small diameter restriction. As the liquid refrigerant successively flows through the evaporator tubes 52 and 54 it absorbs heat from the walls defining the inner shells of the food storage and ice freezing compartments l6 and I8, respectively, because of the thermal connecment I6 is divided by means of a plurality of vertically spaced shelves 10, preferably formed of transparent material, such, for example, as

glass, to insure ease of cleaning and sanitary operation. Preferably, the front edges of the glass shelves are protected by metal strips 18 which may be secured thereon in any suitable manner. It will be noted that a small clearance space 12 is provided between the back end of the shelves l0 and the wall 22 of the shell forming the back wall of the food storage compartment l6. Small clearance spaces 14 are also provided between the ends of the shelves I8 and the walls 24 defining the sides of the food storage compartment I6. Similar clearance spaces 18 are provided between the front of the shelves 10 and the inner surface 18 of a door closing the food storage compartment I6. These small clearance spaces 12, 14 and 1G, permit limited circulation of air between the shelves 18 to maintain substantially uniformly temperature and humidity conditions throughout the food storage compartment IS.

The door 88 is provided with an outer wall 82 spaced from the inner wall 84 formed of a phenolic resinous product or other suitable insulating material, to provide a space for suitable insulation material 86 to thermally insulate the closure for the food storage compartment I8.

The metallic outer wall 82 of the door 88 is contoured to overlie the edge of the inner wall 84 formed, for example, of a phenolic resinous product, as illustrated at 88, to form a tempera: ture break at the door. Resilient sealing members or bumpers 98 formed of rubber or other suitable material are provided on the metallic portion of the door to engage a contoured member 92 interposed between the outer walls I2 and the inner walls 24 of the food storage compart ment IS. A temperature break in the form of a strip 94 formed of a phenolic resinous product or other suitable material is interposed between the contoured member 92 of the food storage compartment i6 and the upper wall 28' of the ice freezing compartment I8 to interrupt the flow of heat between the food storage and ice freezing compartments.

The ice freezing compartment I8 isclosed by a lower access door 96 having an outer metal wall 93 spaced from and contoured as illustrated at I00 to overlie an insulating panel I02 formed of a phenolic res nous product or other suitable material, to provide a temperature break for the front of the ice freezing compartment I8 and to form a space for suitable insulating material I84 in the door. A sealing member in the form of a bumper or strip I88 is carried by the metal wall 98 of the door 96 and is provided to engage the inner shell of the ice freezing compartment at the top and sides of the ice freezing compartment. A bumper I08 carried by the bottom wall 34 of the inner shell 34 is provided to engage the contoured portion of the insulating panel It! as illustrated, and a second bumper H0 carried by the contoured bottom portion of the outer shell 88 engages a breaker strip H2 formed of a age compartment, as illustrated in Fig. 1, and

bounded by a vertically extended-wall I22. A drawer I 24 is provided for the reception of articles which cannot conveniently be placed on one of the shelves 10. A space I26 is thus provided in the food storage compartment It for the reception of articlesof a greater vertical height than the distance between two of the spaced shelves 10.

The ice compartment I8 is provided with a vertically extended wall I20 having a plurality of vertically spaced shelves I30 for the reception of ice trays I32. The wall I28 is preferably aligned with or is a continuation of the wall 33 aligned with the wall 38 forming one side of the mechanism compartment 36 to insure maximum economy of the space within the cabinet. Refrigerant evaporator tubes I34 which may be a continuation of tubes 53, extend along the bottom surface of the spaced shelves I30 to absorb heat from water in the ice trays I32 to convert the water into ice. The space I30 between the vertically extended wall I28 and the side wall 32 remote from the ice trays I32 is available for the reception of other articles to be frozen.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 is similar in many respects to that illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4. Corresponding parts have, therefore, been given corresponding reference numerals with the addition of I00.

The upper shelf I in the food storage compartment IIB extends from a verticalwall positioned approximately midway between the side walls of the food storage compartment to one of the side walls II2 to provide a space 203 of a vertical height equal to double the spacebetween two of the shelves I10 for the reception of articles of a greater height than will be accommodated between two of the shelves I10.

By positioning the compartment 226 for the reception of tall articles in the upper portion of the food storage compartment IIB, the space between the bottom shelf I10 and the bottom wall I26 of the inner shell defining the food storage compartment may receive a pair of drawers 203 and 201 for the reception of articles which cannot conveniently be positioned on one of the shelves I10. The drawers 205 and 201 are preferably provided with handles 205' and 201' respectively.

A single access door 209 having an inner wall 2 formed of a phenolic resinous product or suitable insulating material and an outer wall 2i 3 provided with suitable insulation 2I5 therebetween is provided to close the food storage and ice freezing compartments IIS and H0. Auxiliary doors 2i! and 2I9 are provided to close the ice freezing compartment II8 adjacent the ice trays 232 and the compartment adjacent thereto to prevent undesirable loss of cold from spaced sections of the low temperature ice forming compartment when the access door 200 is opened to reach the fod storage compartment H8. The doors 2", 2I9 may be hinged to the sides of the cabinet and may be provided with handles 2" and 2I9' respectively.

Although only a preferred form of the invention has been illustrated, and that form de- 6 scribed in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A refrigerator comprising vertically spaced inner metal shells forming food storage and ice freezing compartments, insulation surrounding said shells, outer metal walls surrounding the insulation and shells, a closure door for the food storage and ice freezing compartments, a temperature break including a non-conducting member interposed between the door and the inner shells forming the food storage and ice freezing compartments, a refrigerant condenser bonded in heat transferring relation with the inner surfaces of the outer metal walls, refrigerant evaporators bonded in heat transferring relation with the outer surface of the metal shells formin the food storage and ice freezing compartments, and a motor compressor unit operably connected to the refrigerant condenser and evaporators.

2. A refrigerator comprising a. cabinet having a casing and having a mechanism compartment positioned in a lower back corner, an ice freezing compartment positioned adjacent the bottom of the cabinet and partially surrounding the mechanism compartment. a food storage compartment positioned above the ice freezing compartment, a motor'compressor in the mechanism compartment, a refrigerant condenser bonded to the inner wail surfaces of the cabinet casing, refrigerant evaporators associated with the ice freezing and food storage compartments, control means controlling delivery of refrigerant from the condenser to one of the evaporators, a refrigerant pressure restriction between the evaporators of the food storage and ice freezing compartments to maintain the refrigerant pressure in the ice freezing evaporator at a lower pressure than the refrigerant pressure in the food storage evaporator, connecting means between the motor compressor and the refrigerant condenser, connecting means between the refrigerant condenser and the refrigerant evaporator associated with the food storage compartment, and connecting means between the refrigerant evaporator associated with the ice freezing compartment and the motor compressor.

3. A refrigerator comprising a cabinet having a thin sheet metal casing and having a vertically disposed front opening, an access door closing the vertically disposed opening, spaced shells dividing the space within the cabinet into upper and lower food storage and ice freezing compartments, temperature breaks formed of non-conducting material interposed between the door and the'spaced shells, inner access doors closing the ce freezing compartment, a motor compressor lnit between the outer walls of the cabinet and the shell of the ice freezing compartment, refrigerant condenser passages in thermal connection with the walls of the cabinet, refrigerant 7 4.'In a refrigerator having vertically spaced inner metal shells defining food storageand ice freezing compartments, insulation arranged outwardly of said shells, a cabinet having metal walls formed to receive theinsulation and shells, spaced closure doors for the food storage and ice freezing compartments, a temperature break including a non-conducting member interposed between each of the doors and the inner shells defining the food storage and ice freezin compartments, a refrigerant condenser bonded in heat transferring relation with the outer metal walls of the cabinet, refrigerant evaporators bonded in heat transferring relation with the metal shells defining the food storage and ice freezing compartments, and a motor compressor unit operably connected to the refrigerant condenser and evaporator.

5. In a refrigerator including a cabinet having a mechanism compartment positioned in a lower back corner thereof, an ice freezing compartment positioned adjacent the bottom of the cabinet and partially surrounding the mechanism compartment, vertically spaced ice trays in the ice freezing compartment forwardly of the mechanism compartment, a food storage compartment positioned above the ice freezing compartment, a motor compressor in the mechanism compartment, a refrigerant condenser associated with the walls of the cabinet, refrigerant evaporators for the ice freezing and food storage compartments, a refrigerant pressure restriction between the evaporators of the food storage and ice freezing compartments to maintain the ice freezing evaporator at a lower pressure than the food storage evaporator, connecting means between the motor compressor and the refrigerant condenser, connecting means between the refrigerant condenser and the refrigerant evaporator associated with the food storage compartment, a flow control in said connecting means and connecting means between the refrigerant evaporator associated with the ice freezing compartment and the motor compressor.

6. A domestic refrigerator comprising a cabinet having spaced upper and lower food storage and ice making refrigerated compartments, inner and outer metallic shells surrounding said compartments, a mechanism compartment in said cabinet adjacent the ice freezing compartment, a refrigerant motor compressor unit in the mechanism compartment, a refrigerant condenser element bonded to the cabinet outer shell in heat exchange therewith whereby the cabinet outer shell is utilized as a heat dissipating member to transfer the heat from gaseous refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant condenser, refrigerant evaporators bonded to the inner shells of the food storage and ice making compartments, connecting means between the refrigerant condenser and refrigerant evaporator element of the food storage compartment, a flow control in said connecting means, a pressure differential fixed restriction interposed between the refrigerant evaporators in the food storage and ice making compartments, and connecting means between the ice making refrigerant evaporator and the motor compressor unit.

'7. A domestic refrigerator comprising spaced food storage and ice making compartments, insulated inner and outer walls surrounding said compartments, a refrigerant condenser arranged in intimate heat transfer relationship with the outer walls, refrigerant evaporator elements arranged in intimate heat transfer relationship net having two inner liners forming two food storage compartments, said cabinet also having an outer casing surrounding said liners, insulation between said liners and casing and between the liners, said cabinet also having a machine compartment within said casing adjacent one of said liners with such liner being arranged to extend adjacent two sides of said machine compartment, refrigerant evaporating means positioned in heat exchange relation with said liners and closure means for said food storage compartments.

9. In a refrigerator, a cabinet formed of thin metal walls having a vertically disposed front opening, spaced shells dividing the space within the cabinet into upper and lower food storage and ice freezing compartments, spaced access doors closing the food storage and ice freezing compartments, temperature breaks formed of non-conducting material interposed between the doors and the spaced shells, a motor compressor unit between the outer Walls of the cabinet and the shell of the ice freezing compartment, refrigerant condenser passages in thermal connec-' tion with the walls of the cabinet, refrigerant evaporator passages in thermal connection with the walls of the inner shells, connecting means between the motor compressor unit and the refrigerant condenser passages and between the refrigerant condenser passages and the evaporator passages, a flow control in said connecting means between said refrigerant condenser and said evaporator passages, and a fixed restriction between the refrigerant evaporator passages of the food storage and ice freezing passages to maintain the pressure of refrigerant in the ice freezing evaporator passages lower than the pressure in the food storage evaporator passages.

10. A domestic refrigerator comprising a cabinet having vertically spaced food storage and ice making compartments, thin walled metallic inner shells forming said compartments, an outer shell receiving said inner shells, a motor compressor unit disposed in said cabinet adjacent said for: making compartment, a refrigerant condenser bonded to the external shell in heat conducting relation therewith, connecting means between the motor compressor unit and the refrigerant condenser, a refrigerant evaporator secured to the inner shells of the food storage and ice freezing compartments and bonded thereto in heat dissipating relation, connecting means between the outlet of the refrigerant evaporator in the ice freezing compartment and the motor compressor unit, spaced ice tray shelves in the ice freezing compartment, refrigerator evaporator tubes bonded to said shelves, a control restricting flow from said condenser to one of said evaporators, a pressure differential fixed restriction between the refrigerant evaporators of the food storage and ice freezing compartments whereby the ice making compartment is subjected to lower pressure and temperature to refrigerate the ice freezing compartment at a temperature below the freezing point of water and to refrigerate the food stor- UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date age compartment at a. temperature above the 1,726,344 Davenport Aug'zq' 1929 freezing Pint water' 5 2,070,457 Steenstrup Feb. 9, 193': 2,089,608 Horlacher Aug. 10, 1937 LAWREITCE PHILIP? 2,302,051 Philipp Nov. :17, 1942 2,309,797 Stickel F811. 2, 1943 REFERENCES CITED 2,418,715 Johnson Apr. 8, 1947 The following references are of record in the m FOREIGN PATENTS file 0! this Patent; Number Country Date 175,781

Switzerland May 16. 1935 

